Yamiko
by RinMinigawa
Summary: Vergil and Yamato are inseparable, until Yamato broke...what if during that time Agnus's experiments produced a living breathing female human shaped Yamato copy? What would Vergil think of her? And she him? Vergil x Girl Yamato. This is an rp idea I had that turned into a huge thing. xD
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

~***~

A soft blue light radiated through a small secluded laboratory where a man hunched over a large console. From his place behind a pane of protective glass, he peered at the source of the light, two halves of a katana hung suspended over a pedestal; it was his task to repair it. While any other blade could simply be reforged, this was no ordinary blade, this was Yamato, the fabled weapon of the son of Sparda, the infamous Vergil. The bulky man at the console called his clip board, whispering over his notes. This experiment to repair the blade would use alchemy and a demonic spell, delivered via an electric jolt; he hoped to force the blade back together.

He wasn't the sort of man who looked like a sniveling scientist, but more like a body builder or a bouncer, the truth was his human form struggled to contain a much bulkier form of an insect demon. He adjusted his monocle with a sneer and his fingers reached tentatively for a switch at the end of the console to activate the experiment. A crooked smile, the excitement of an experiment about to be set in motion, this anticipation was the only true joy Agnus felt in his wretched life.

His eyes widened, changing his expression to one of crazed frenzy as he pulled the lever. First came an electric hum, then a loud zap and he watched the blade envelop with blue white light that brightened to a binding white. His breathing became hurried and he hopped excitedly in a manner that looked odd for one of his size and then- POP! The lights in the room behind the glass went out and Agnus crouched behind his console, clip board raised to protect his head. The lights clicked back on after only a moment and the man with the greasy pony tail peeked cautiously through the glass. He cursed, shooting up and slamming down his notes. The sword was still in two, he grit his teeth in frustration and looked away, but then, he looked back, peering closer. Something was on the pedastal beneath the pieces of Yamato, something small, pale and fleshy.

He pressed his oily face against the glass, what was that thing? Suddenly it keened out loud and he jumped back, clutching his notes and searching for a pen, then scrawling notes as he scurried to the door. He entered the room behind the glass and approached the thing sideways, his body turned so he could bolt back out at a moment's notice. As he crept closer, he could slowly make out a shape and then gaped in astonishment.

It was, or at least appeared to be, a human baby girl with white blonde hair and a tiny black star on her left cheek, right before her eye. He scribbled a few more notes as he hovered over the crying infant; then he put down his beloved clipboard in favor of picking her up. He did not do this to comfort her, but to examine her. Her cries settled as she felt his warmth and she gazed at him with wide doe brown eyes. He looked around, not knowing what to do. Suddenly he all but leaped into the air and rushed to an adjacent examination table where he set her down, prompting more cries from her.

He pulled a large machine over and clicked a switch, which drowned the baby in bright white light. Snatching up his clipboard, he dashed back to the console room to run a scan on her. To his delight, her energy signature was identical to Yamato. In fact, as far as the machine was concerned, she WAS Yamato! Agnus clapped his hands and danced, an odd sight for one of his stature, celebrating his accomplishment, but it was short lived; the sword was still in two pieces, perhaps three now. He'd have to report his funding immediately. But first, the infant, shed cry herself sick at this rate and he couldn't have her dying. There was too much to study!

Back to the experiment room, he picked her up and cradled her close; she wimpered softly. Her comfort was disturbed by a sudden pinch at her heel, which had her crying again. The big man set the blood sample aside for later testing and he took her back to the console room where he held down a button and spoke,

"T-tell his H-holyn-ness to c-come to the l-la-lab. T-there's b-been a n-new d-dev-velopment." He stuttered, watching the wailing infant through his monacle.

When his gaze met that of the infant, he had a sudden thought. He removed one of his white gloves and raised a thumb too his mouth, buying the flash until blood trickled down his arm. He pressed the wound to the infant demon's lips where she suckled vigorously.

"Ha!" He exclaimed, looking to his clip board, be had to write this down! Eh- but in a minute, maybe she needed just a little more. Right, he thought, a child born from a demon killing blade would be saited by demon's blood. She wasn't just a child, but a demon, no, a sword, but living; like a devil arm, a living weapon.

Sanctus arrived accompanied by another man who was blocked from seeing the babe and told to leave immediately. The old man in white robes stood at the door.

"Agnus, my son, what is this?" His voice was serene, but somehow venomous.

"I t-t-tried an alchemc compound, d-d-demonic energy to re-repair the s-sword, your h-holyness. I-it f-fa-failed. B-but the child," he hopped toward the other man half a step, "S-sh-she appeared i-in a, a f-flash of l-light during the experiment! Sh-she has the same energy sig-signature as Yamato, sh-she IS Yamato, s-sir-"

"Yamato is that broken relic over there," said the old man, gesturing at the sword though the glass, still suspended in blue light, "That," he said pointing at the baby, "well, that is your responsibility. She is a byproduct of a failed experiment, nothing more, and she is to remain a secret. A living secret. Perhaps she will be if use later."

Agnus nodded in agreement and the older man continued, "There is a storage room that will become her cell. I'll authorize it as top secret, no one in or out save for you and I. Will that be all?"

Agnus bowed his head, but then gasped and thrust the infant away where liquid trickled from her to the floor, with panic, he looked at Sanctus, mouth hanging open.

"Looks like you need a few things. You had better get started." He said, then he turned, leaving Agnus alone with a now giggling infant and a sore thumb.


	2. Chapter 2

Agnus, being a scientist, was no stranger to research and he soon found the needed resources on what to do with a baby, with a few exceptions. Babies, for example didn't drink blood, and didn't crawl toward alarming objects like test subject demons or suits of flying armor that moved on their own. While the baby, turned toddler didn't enjoy the frequent tests Agnus ran on her, or the painful machines she was often hooked to, she did enjoy the time he took to clothe her, feed her and teach her. Though her wardrobe was nothing but a small robe similar to those worn by Sanctus' cult.

Her food was demon blood, or orbs of demon energy, human food, as was leaned in an experiment, was always rejected with vomiting and a tantrum until she tired herself out. All of this was scribbled in her file. She caught onto words, colors, shapes, numbers, and was speaking well by the time she turned three, in spite of "daddy's" stuttering problem. It wasn't long before Agnus had a personal assistant helping out around the lab. By four, little Yamato could recite the periodic table and tell you the alchemic properties of some of them. Of course, Angus had named her after the sword, as she was very upset being called "Subject Two."

While she got to spend a lot of time in the lab, it wasn't always fun. When Agnus needed to concentrate or was especially near a breakthrough, she'd be locked in her room, sometimes for days at a time. Her tiny five by five metal box of a room with a low ceiling, no pictures, no windows and only one door with a complicated lock the size of her head. Sometimes in the evenings, Angus would bring her a ball or a flower or something to look at or play with. It was a dismal existence. Yamato had no idea that this was not the proper way to treat a child, so she didn't think she was being abused or mistreated. Keep in mind this was the only thing she had known her entire life.

Sanctus came to visit occasionally. At first, he paid her little attention, looking at her like some annoying animal, but as she asked him questions, he started to view her as a sort of grandchild and would tell her stories about Yamato the sword, the sons of Sparda, and all the greatness he would one day bring the world. But he told this to her like a parent tells a bed time story, he never led her to believe that Dante and Vergil were real people, but rather characters in a fairy tale, and he was the true hero.

By age 12, Sanctus had allowed her to own things like magazines, a small antenna tv, and nail polish. He'd started spoiling her and teaching her about the world outside, as an alternative to throwing a tantrum about going in her room. She'd go quietly, as long as she got to learn something new about the world outside. She was never allowed to see it, no matter how good she got a puppy dog eyes. Getting the TV was the closest she'd ever gotten to having that wish granted. The lab and her room along with the small attached private chapel of the lab were her entire world. Before that, she;d read all of Agnu's books on science and demonolgy and was bugging him for more reading material so Sanctus had gotten her a few teen novels.

She learned about being a normal teenager, though she was well aware she was no normal human anything. While she knew Agnus wasn't really her dad, she ignored his stuttering protests about calling him that now that she was "old enough" to know better, she started called Sanctus grandpa and he didn't seem to mind. She was told how she came to be from the sword and with wonder attempted to touch it, a mistake the shocked her and send her flying back several feet to land steaming on the ground-she didn't do that again. Having a tv made her going back to her room much less awful and she picked up the lingo of the other kids her age on tv, learned what music was. And she had at least a hundred thousand more questions for Agnus after that, she even requested "real" clothes, not just the cultist robes she'd spent every day of her life in so far. Bathing was allowed to be a private matter when she learned to use the lab shower like a normal person. And she even begged Agnus to let her change her hair. Oh how she'd sat with excited grin in anticipation when he got out the scissors and her knee-length locks were replaced with an adorable bob cut. But nothing prepared her for a night that would inevitably come for any young girl.

It started around midnight, a dull ache that grew until it roused her. It was low in her belly, lower than her belly button and deep int he pit of her gut. It worsened until she could feel it growing in her lower back near her kidneys and even seemed to hurt her thighs. What was this? Why was she hurting so much? She cried, knowing no one would hear her if she cried out. She then suddenly felt a rush, liquid releasing from her lower half and threw back the covers. She shrieked. Red? Blood? But why? She remembered wetting th ebed and making Agnus mad, this was something else. Urine was explainable, normal even, but blood?

Her first thought was that it was a side affect of some experiment, though he'd done a lot less testing on her lately. By morning she couldn't move at all wracked with pain and fear, she thought she was dying, her plain white robes (as she still used them to sleep in) stained red.

When Agnus brought her morning sustenance, he discovered her in the pool of crimson and rushed to her, checking to see if she was alive. She groaned unhappily and he took her to the lab, placing her on an examination table and connecting an IV in a panic. As the pain eased, he scribbled notes in her file, asking her about when it had started, what she was feeling, how much it hurt, her heart rate, blood pressure and so on. His forehead creased with worry in spite of his excitement at something new happening with his little pet. Then it hit him. No amount of science could prepare a father from his daughter's first period. Still, it was simple anatomy. He shifted and swallowed and stuttered out a very sciency version of "the talk". Most kids would be horrified to hear such a thing in some dank lab, they'd be embarrassed, and probably hope to die. Instead Yamato listened to her father with a curious mind as he told her this was a human affliction and thus he'd never expected it to affect her. But it meant she could reproduce, which was exciting news to Agnus, though she couldn't understand why. He noted it would be something to experiment with after the current problem of Yamato the sword was solved.

Within the hour she had the necessary products to care for herself and she was allowed to keep them in her room. Life for her went back to normal after that, only now she found should could stomach human food (another Agnus inflicted experiment). Pizza became her favorite treat over demon blood and energy. The days went on as usual, morning and evening meal, helping in the lab on good days, watching TV or reading on bad days. This was life, pretending to be a normal human girl in between everything about her life that proved she wasn't.

When she was 17, a young man named Nero came on the scene...

She was in her room as usual painting her nails a metallic shade of blue when she suddenly felt a little strange, somehow very aware of the sword not too far away. The feeling was so strong, she even stopped paining her big toe to close the bottle and walk to the thick metal door, held by even thicker metal walls. She tried to listen through it, but to no avail, the whole room was sound proof.

All of the sudden electricity ripped through her and an unseen force pulled her into the air. Her body wracked with pain and blue arcs of energy shot off from her, destroying her tv and creating a tornado-like current that ruined everything in her room. It tore up her mattress and even the neat stack of books, tearing out he pages and whipping them around her violently. Eventually she found she could scream, but that's all she could do as her form changed to something akin to vergil's devil trigger, like an under-formed neo-angelo and her screams became demonic howls.

A few rooms away, Nero was playing with a new toy. His willpower alone had repaired the broken Yamato and he was swinging it around, against her father, utterly ignorant of the agony he was causing a girl nearby. He left, taking it, and felt it's presence slipping away. It felt like forever when the shock stopped and she dropped to the ground in a heap among the chaos that had once been her belongings.

Once again Agnus would find her laying amid the mess, eyes wide open and staring, her chest heaving-though the demon form had long faded by the time he found her. Once again, she thought she was going to die.

In the days that followed, she was on watch, her things replaced, and it appeared she had something akin to asthma, only it wasn't. She had a breathing problem that had developed in the absence of Yamato the sword, and as Agnus pressed his experiments onward, she learned she could sense Yamato and now near to it she was, however it was a moot point; having no little to no knowledge of the maps and terrain of the outside world, she had nothing to go on as to even what direction Yamato was in, though she could tell it was at least within the city.

Finally she turned 18, it was a good birthday, cake and game of hover with her Dad in bug form. She liked it when he'd fly up and whisk her around the round high-ceiling of the lab, and he seemed to stutter less when he was doing something like this. He told her about Rebellion as a treat, a companion sword to Yamato, one given to the other brother, Dante. She asked if maybe someone like her could be made from it, maybe a sibling, someone to relate to. Agnus agreed it might be possible, but reminded her that finding Yamato was their priority and there were no plans to make another sword baby any time soon.

Barely a day later she found her dad murdered...

All day she'd felt something was off. Agnus brought her lunch and a new fruit basket for snacking, she clicked on the tv as usual and watched the latest episode of whatever was on. She hardly paid attention, something in her gut wasn't right today. She shook it off, not like she could go find out what it was, or that Agnus could tell her. She pulled out a novel first, maybe sparkling vampires would soothe her mind, but that was not what she wanted. The story didn't keep her interest, so she cracked open one of her dad's borrowed books on Demonology. It was boring stuff, alchemic formulas, drawing summoning circles, alchemic compounds. She took and apple and bit into it. A few hours passed and she looked up at the tv, some old movie was playing in black and white and she stared at it looking as bored as she felt. She didn't know what time it was, there was no clock or window in her tiny room. But there was an electric sound and everything went dark. A click at her door was the signature sound that meant it was unlocked, and she jumped up, expecting to see her timid, stuttering father peeking in with his odd grin and some ball or toy to entice her. She wasn't a dog, didn't care about toys anymore, way too old for that stuff, but still, it was nice to get to come out of her room and see him, even if it meant playing a dumb game of catch in the lab.

"Dad?" She called when he didn't appear. She'd called him Dada as a toddler, then daddy as a child, and now dad was suiting, even though he'd told her he wasn't really her father. She didn't care, he was to her. Crunching another bite out of the apple she opened the door and walked out, green letterman jacket about two sizes too big concealing her upper body. Odd blue high top shoes squeaked against the floor. "Dad?" She called again, going up a three steps to a metal landing leading for the lab. "Daaaaad?" She called into the dark, "Why are the lights out?" She laughed a little to ease the growing uncertainty in her belly. "Where are you?"

She turned in the dark to another room, the big room with the pews. It was a mess in here, what happened? Another bad experiment? A demon? Suddenly the lights clicked back on and she saw him. The apple hit the ground as she ran to him,

"Dad? Dad? Oh shit, oh no, no, no. Dad? Daddy? Hey!" She pulled the paper off his face and recoiled immediately to throw up. Someone shot him in the face? Why? When she settled her stomach, she couldn't help crying, laying her blonde had on his unmoving chest to mourn.

"Is anyone out there?" She cried, yelling as loud as she could, which threw her into a coughing fit, it sucked that she had attacks like this ever since Yamato was stolen. No one came, no one heard. But there was a hole in the ceiling that let in sunlight and she looked up at it. Something really big was happening, more than just some murder of some demon scientist. Sniffing, she took her dad's monacle. She knew she should get out of here, whoever killed her dad might still be around, but she also knew she'd never see him again and wanted a momento to remember him. He had been eccentric, but a good dad substitute. She wiped her nose on her sleeve, tears sliding over her star birthmark on her cheek.

She didn't know how to get out, but all the doors had luckily com unlocked, and the farther away from the lab she got, the more bodies she had to step over. She cringed from them, but eventually there were more bothersome than horrifying, even demon bodies were scattered around. Her confusion because curiosity, and then everything shook, unknown to her a certain giant flying statue was crashing to earth.

Finally she stepped outside, no one was around anywhere, not a soul, squinting around at her new world she started walking. Today was the first day of her life, she tucked Angus' monocole in her jacket pocket and headed out, marveling at the world around her. It wasn't until sometime after midnight she found a place under a park bench to curl up and sleep. This sucked, but the night sky was a lot better than the plain metal ceiling of her bunker. The world sure was huge. She snuggled into her coat, twisting daddy's monocle in her fingers until she fell asleep. No idea what to expect when she would wake to witness her first sunrise.

The first morning after her first night under the stars (aka a park bench) was the first time she was attacked by a demon. It was a funny thing, like a puppet, and one she'd seen before as a lab experiment. it lumbered stupidly and clumsily toward her, and she was certainly too weak to fight it, but she was hungry. She looked for a way around, something to fight with, but she had nothing, the only thing near by was a trash can, and she hoisted it up and over the demon's head, where it fell over, struggling to free itself from the smelly trap. Meanwhile she bit down on it's leg, into the fabric above it's odd stumpy wood-like foot. The fabric squished, almost like skin and odd blood filled her mouth. A few quick swallows was all she had time for before she bolted away. Her first meal she'd ever gotten herself. She felt more proud than afraid, and after that would make a habit of biting demons when real food was hard to get. She'd soon learn how to steal, lie, and cheat her way around the real world to stay alive.


	3. Chapter 3

**The rest of the story will be in alternating POVs**

(Yamiko's POV)

Who knew how much time had passed since her dad had been killed and her whole world had turned on its head, but it had been enough for her to figure out how to survive as a homeless deviant on the street. Steal, lie, play people, look cute. Yep, it was all good. She clicked through her stolen mp3 player and adjusted the white retro headphones, tunes were always good for a day out and about-which was always. It was late afternoon and she walked around looking at all the happy people in diners and sitting out in the breeze eating burgers at the outdoor tables. She wrinkled her nose and made a face at a couple who saw her staring. She stuck out her tongue and walked away. Wasn't like she wanted what they were having anyway, jerks. Eventually it was dark and she felt safe enough to find some food.

Her stomach growled and she kicked a stray can on the street, heading for the alleys. She found a dumpster behind some building with a large empty parking lot, she had to jump up and hold the side, legs dangling to get a good look, but this dumpster in particular usually had some good stuff. It didn't look like much, but there was always pizza in here, no more than maybe a day old. No maggots. Awesome.

"Hel-lo 'za," she sang, reaching for the box and almost falling in. She kicked her legs to heave herself back the other way and out of the dumpster with the cardboard treasure in tow, she sat on the asphalt ground, and crossed her legs Indian style, hungry eyes beaming as she licked her lips. "Oh yeah, come to mama," she flipped open the top, three crusts and one half eaten slice, it gad green peppers on it. "Score!" she said, snatching it and taking a big bite. She chewed happily, if she had a tail, it would have been wagging. Munching the cold, slightly stale pizza to the sound of a guitar always meant she'd be in a good mood. But then the back door opened.

"Oh Shit!" she said, cheek full of pizza as she scrambled up, box falling off her lap, turning to run, she stepped on the shoe lace of her beaten up blue high tops and fell, tearing her already torn black tights more under her shorts. "Oww, geez," she said rolling over to hold it, it was skinned, bleeding, "Dammit."

Too late now, whoever opened the door would have seen her. She sat up, holding her knee, blocking the light from the door with her palm and squinting, dirty fingerless gloves doing nothing to hide grubby fingers with chipped purple nail polish. She couldn't run away, but she didn't want to go to jail,

"Hey, I'll go alright, sorry for stealin' your grub" but the other didn't yell at her or shoo her. What was her deal?

(Reika's POV)  
It was the last of the closing clean up, the last bag of trash. As always the restaurant was buzzing all day, not many hunters lately. It made the shop that much more sad . A certain hunter she hadn't seen in, what was it months now? He used to come by once a week, and help out in return for a free pizza…. Dare she say it, she missed his corny jokes.

With a sigh she hefted the bag over her shoulder, headed for the back door. Surprisingly, she would not be greeted by a quiet lot as she was accustomed. No, this time there was a girl, an urchin. Reika jumped back, colliding with the door jam as the girl tried to run and failed.

"woah, woah," she took a step towards the young girl, dropping the bag seeing her knee torn open, "come inside, let me help you with that." Reika held out her hand, holding the door open with the other.

"I have a kit inside," motioning to cardboard box with a chuckle "and Fresh food."

(Yamiko's POV)

Rather than yelling, the other offered to aid her.

"I'm fine," She protested, pulling her headphones down around her neck to better hear the woman, though in reality one could see she was clearly not, it was only a breath's time later that she spoke up again at the idea of fresh _hot_ food. So she tossed the half eaten slice at the box of pizza on the ground, swallowed the bit already in her mouth, and struggled to stand, leaning against the dumpster for support. She crossed her arms and limped toward the young woman,

"You're not gonna call the fuzz on me are you? I got places to be..."

It was a lie, the only place she was required to be was out of sight so that the common folk didn't see their city had street urchins wandering about. As she neared the door, she could smell the pizza crust and her brown, almond shaped eyes opened wide. Her hesitation melted before the heavenly scent of real food made just for her, something she hadn't had in months.

She allowed herself to be guided inside and sat down while the brunette got her kit.

"Man, nice place..."she commented quietly, looking at the fresco across the wall, "you really were going for Little Italy huh?"

Music poured from her headphones, (steal a soul for a second chance...you will never become a man lol) and she hardly winced when the antibacterial agent was applied. Instead, her eyes squinted a little and she looked around some more, surveying everything with her eyes. A more distrustful person might think she was trying to figure out what to steal. Her stomach growled again and she tucked a hand over it, face turning red. She pursed her lips, trying to look cool, but only succeeded in looking kind of adorable.

"So uh, do I get choice of the menu or whatever's left over? I mean, whatever," her eyes looked up to a picture of strawberry ice cream, what were they called sundaes? Yeah, that looked super good, so did the image of a slice of five cheese pizza with all that stringy melty goodness. It made her stomach growl again, and her other arm crossed over to silence it. She looked away, trying not to look or feel as hungry as she was.

(Reika's POV)

The door latched securely behind them, as she led the young girl in and sat her down. She chuckled at the comment on the decor as she knelt on the floor and tended the wounded knee.

"I was actually," a smile crept over her, thinking to all of the inspiration she'd had over the years, from her father to the friends she has made, to her own lineage. She stood again, stretching, and watched the girl look around. The restaurant itself had little to nothing worth stealing, as if she would get far.

She scooped up the kit and slipped it under the counter behind the bar.  
"You're actually rather lucky," she motioned to what looked like a roll out buffet table, six warm fresh variety pizzas lined up under the hot lights, "It's bidding night." She grinned taking a paper plate to the row, grabbing her a few different slices before setting the plate down before the young girl.

"I'm Reika." With a smile she shook the girls' hand.

(Yamiko's POV)

"Name's Yama...I mean, I'm Yamiko," she said, shaking her hand back. Her hands were a little cold, but intially there was a static shock that passed between then briefly. Yamiko pulled her hand back and wiped it on her shorts, "sorry," she apologized, sure she'd caused it somehow, though she didn't know how. Static? Or Demonic energy? It was hard to tell when it came to her. But she mulled a moment over the first time giving out her new name to someone. Yamiko was good right? Normal sounding? Not sounding like a mythical sword that for all she knew, no one else knew existed? Her eyes following the plate till it sat before her. Bidding night? Who cared what that was if it meant food. She immediately dug in.

"Mmmm!" she exclaimed, eyes going wide as she chewed, swallowed and took another bite without breathing. One slice was down before she came up for air, she paused to lick her lips, "So, what's the occasion, bidding? Like horse races?"

She only had to go off the little she knew about the outside world from tv, so she was trying to put two and two together. Once she had a band aid in place on her knee, she scooted her chair closer to face the table and leaned over it, taking another bite, eyes flicking around. Oh wow, it did look like some kind of shin-dig was going down, she felt a pang in her chest. She'd like to stay and watch, whatever it was, it was warm in here, and nice to sit in a chair. She realized with an internal pout that she really didn't want to go back outside. Watching a horse race on tv and eating pizza? She could dig that, better than walking around until she made her way back to her usual park bench to sleep.

She decided to eat a little slower and forced herself to put down an extra cheesy slice and chew a little slower, it was almost painful. "So...you want me to scram before your guests come huh?" She picked at her pizza, nibbling a pepperoni, It might have looked cute, but it also may have looked like she was trying to be a pain by eating slower in spite of knowing she probably wasn't wanted.

(Reika's POV)

Horse races, it made her chuckle, though some hunters would race each other to try to get the better bids. She had seen some fights break out in this bar plenty of times to know that this girl, while may be in the same amount of danger as herself, she could protect them both, easily. Not like her bouncer was coming around any more, she'd learned to hold her own again, and fully, she refused to be afraid of these men.

"Well, do you know how when a bad guy is out there how the police will offer a reward for their capture?" She pulled the chalk board by the pool table away from the wall and flipped it over to reveal a cork board covered in flyers with faces and dollar amounts. though one section was sealed manila folders pinned up with either yellow red or black push pins. She pulled a few more flyers from under her arm, along with a black envelope, she stared at it a moment, considering putting it on the board.

With a sigh she hung it with a corresponding black pin, muttering under her breath, "I can't hold it for him any more, I don't think he's coming around any more."

When she turned back to Yamiko watching her she smiled, and headed back to the bar, filling pitchers with ice water, "You can stay as long as you like, I even have a little room in the back with a bathroom and a cot if you'd like to stay the night."

(Dante's POV)

There was a track in the rug, he stopped to stare at it, wondering how it had gotten there. Though he had no idea how long he had been pacing. A month with no work will to horrid things to the nerves, he was not at all used to being this vulnerable, this on edge. His attendance record was shot, he couldn't remember the last time he had socialized in a normal setting.

"No time like the present." He stormed over to the coat rack near the bathroom door, convicted for a moment that he would go. "but then again, oh who am I kidding." He threw on his coat and armed himself, intent on getting out the door before he changed his mind again.

It had been a losing battle, until now it seemed, he hadn't been able to get out the door and down the street. Yet here he was standing before the stairs to _Italia N' Icecream_ , with the closed sign turned but a light coming from behind the blinds. He stood there, staring at the doornob, lost in his battling thoughts. That is until he heard the others coming.

"So it still is a ritual," He lifted his chin and marched himself down the steps and pushed through the door. And there she was behind the bar, not changed for the time, and looking rather surprised to see him.

"Sorry," He scratched the back of his head, stared again for a moment, battling it out. At a loss for anything at all to say he gave in and turned to leave.

(Yamiko)

She listened to Reika the way she had once listened to Agnus. Attentive, and hten she understood, "Oh! Like bounties?" She questioned, like she was guessing the answer to a prizze question. But then the golden ticket, a cot? It was no bed but it was certainly no park bench, "Oh my god," she said, almost dropping a bit of pizza out of her mouth. She held up her hand to keep it in and finished chewing. "That's so nice of you! You know...I mean, tch, I've had better but I guess I could stay." Another lie, but she was so relieved.

Then her eyes flicked to the door where a man entered, she didn't think much of him. Tall, white hair, red coat, meh. She didn't know handsome from a frog in a jar so she just stared then squinted at him when he, this big bad ass, look kind of awkward and turned around. First and foremost her eyes almost popped out of her head and she started coughing violently, standing up and pointing at him.

"Ih-ih-" she sputtered, trying to talk, "Reh-rehkack- ugh!" she cleared her throat and took a deep breath to make herself clear, face red, "Is that Rebellion?" She'd know that sword anywhere from her grandpa's stories. "Like, no way!"" she crawled over the tabled to approach the man, licking her fingers, pizza forgotten. She blinked at it, following it when the man turned to face her, (so she's like circling him, always standing behind him, looking at the sword moving as he tries to look at her.) Glued to the sword she all but reached for it, but then, remembering what happened when she touched Yamato she kept her hands to herself, but eyed it as if seeing a lost family member. She bit her lip, she looked like she wanted to hold it very badly, and she did, but she knew better.

"The sword that once belonged to Dante, Son of Sparda? It's like...super um, cool, where'd you get it?" it occurred to her she didn't know how her father had obtained Yamato. She figured it was some relic exhumed from some ancient crypt. It was real, that much she could tell, if being born out of a sword, especially this one's twin, she could tell it was the real thing. "Wow..."

(Reika)

The glass in her hand clattered back into the sink as she looked up and saw the last person she was expecting to walk through the doors. She must have been gawking, because he turned to leave after a muttered apology.  
"Wai-" She was cut off my Yamiko choking on her pizza. She came around the bar anyway watching her chase the sword as he turned, and it actually made her laugh.

"Yamiko!" she reached out to stop the girl, before she got dizzy watching them, "This _IS_ Dante."

(Dante)

He stopped turning, looked at the small girl Reika introduced him to. She looked too young to be someone in their line of work, so who was she?  
He stepped over to the closest booth, where he used to sit, and slipped in, taking the blade from his back and leaning it against the table. He was baffled by this girl, Yamiko, Reika had called her.

"Now, just where did you learn about Rebellion?" He motioned to the seat across form him as the other hunters started trickling in, just about all of them either surprised to see him, or completely indifferent.

(Yamiko)

Fixated on the sword she was until Reika grabbed her and said something unbelievable. The touch from the human didn't shock her again, and when she seemed like she wasn't going to circle him anymore, she slid from her grip like any not-devil arm would.

"What? _The_ Dante? Nuh-uh! He's a fairy tale, like the tooth fairy right?" She looked at Reika, then at Dante, then back to Reika, then to Rebellion, "No way!" She gaped, "Like, no way! That means..." both her hands hit her cheeks and slid down incredulously. Then Dante asked his question,

"My dad," she said in reply, still looking amazed, blinking sliding a hand through her hair, her voice a little breathless, "he did a lot of research on this kind of stuff, I never...thought I'd see it in person."

She knelt by the sword, holding a hand near it but unable to actually touch it. "Wait, so...have you heard of Yamato?" Then it occurred to her if Dante existed, then so did Vergil, and that meant maybe he was the one who stole Yamato away. Maybe if she found him, she'd find the sword. But then, how stupid was that? Asking a fairy tale character if he knew about a legendary weapon from his own fairy tale, of course he knew, but maybe...he knew where it was? One thing at a time...

Curiously, she turned her attention from the sword to it's wielder and thrust her face toward his, squinting, glaring as she examined him with her sparkling overdone eye shadow. He...was part devil? She could just tell, maybe she could smell it? So he really was the real thing too? But almost as soon as she neared him she stepped back, a warm electric feeling filling her bones when she stood too close. She stepped back, too fast, like he'd shocked her, and yet she hovered near him eyeing him.

She soon realized they were no longer alone and she causally plopped herself in the same booth right across from him, crossing her arms in spite of the odd buzzing in her bones. Giving off the look of "What? I'll sit here if I want, it's not weird...shut up." She stared at him, there was an odd churning in her gut, but she couldn't put her finger on it, maybe she was just full. Mouth twisted off to one side in thought she glanced away from him briefly to keep an eye on her surroundings and then back to him, staring daggers. Not every day you get to see a hero in the flesh, one you thought was a myth, and one could could potentially give you answers.

(Reika)

Yamiko seemed to calm down slightly, and followed Dante into the booth, though she still looked uneasy. But in they came, so Reika went to work filling drink orders as the hunters filed in. Most she had come to know by name, new she greeted and introduced them to other hunters standing nearby and offered to answer any questions. A few harmless individuals tried to flirt, failing miserably as she asked them to clear the walkway and find a place to sit with a smile and laugh.

She never meant to embarrass anyone, and they were usually regulars that knew their compliments were appreciated. With a deep breath and a puff of the chest she picked up her folder and tray of drinks, banging on her counter bell for attention. It took a moment for them to quiet down, though soon enough she had all their eyes as she reviewed the bounties that had been on the board the longest. All the while passing out orders, until with empty tray she had circled round back to the board to go over the newest bounties posted today. Again stating that if any newcomers had questions they could be directed to a veteran hunter, those present raised their hands, all but Dante that is.

She began the bids starting with the highest bounty, she would take the hunter that offered her the highest percentage as their patron. She had never seen more than twenty percent come back, and many bids started at one. It didn't matter to her, it was just the only way to distribute them fairly.

It didn't take near as long to reach the oldest of the bounties on the board, a few making their way off the board. Next the hunters would talk amongst themselves over drinks, where targets had been seen, some helping younger hunters, some working in pairs. She had seen all kinds through the years.

Reika came and slid into the seat next to Yamiko pushing her closer to the window, for a moment she stared Dante down before slapping the black envelope onto the table in front of him loudly. With an exhausted sigh she stole a swig of his whiskey before slumping back in the seat.

"You would not believe how busy it's been. you've missed out on a lot of good paying hunts." She stared at him again, hoping for an explanation

(Dante)

She seemed completely baffled by him, and he nearly thought this was a joke... though she mentioned her father briefly, he didn't quite hear her clearly over the growing chatter. He tried to nod at a few faces he recognized, he turned back to look at the Yamiko to find her inches from her face, and a familiar shock sent her jumping back. Family... he eyed her carefully, no, that couldn't have been the feeling he just got. He stared back at her, now she was baffling him. No way she could be his, no likeness, but then, none to his brother either. The only signature that came close to a spawn of Sparda was her white blonde hair.

"Yamato," He squinted at her strong interest in his brother's blade, "Yes, though I believe the punk... sorry, Nero, still has it." Nicknames came to him almost more often than real ones, he was awful with names and faces. Though this girl, he doubt he would forget hers... Yama... Yamiko, interested in Yamato. There was definitely more there.

"Just what would interest a girl like you in these particular swords?" He leaned across the table to ask her while Reika started calling attention. He sat back to watch her and listen to the list of human bounties. Waiting for his turn to bid, it was like a portal through time, all was as it always had been, though her taking percentages was new.

(Yamiko)

Dante said her name, no, he was repeating the name of the sword and she hoped he hadn't caught the way her wandering gaze had snapped back to him upon hearing it. (You know how you can;t help reacting when you suddenly hear your name? Yeah, that.)  
Nero? Nope, that name didn't ring any bells, but she found it seriously annoying. "Why does he have it?" she said, sounding jealous and snotty about it. But the man in red pressed on, she pressed her lips together.

"Yamato...was my dad's. It got stolen and I wanna get it back. It's practically all I have left of him."

She wasn't sure what she'd do with it if she ever got it, she couldn't touch it after all without getting knocked on her butt, however she still felt a certain degree of ownership toward it. Somehow, she wanted to tell him more, she felt she could trust him, but something else said she should keep her mouth shut. Talking about her dad though had her hand fishing into her pocket to play with the monocle there, but she didn't pull it out. Then a thought hit her,

"Wait, if you're Dante and you have Rebellion, why are you okay with some random guy having Yamato?" She frowned, "Shouldn't you have it then?" She forgot about Vergil for a moment, maybe he was still a myth. After all this guy hadn't mentioned him and she didn't want to look like an idiot.

She realized the tightness that always seemed to be in her chest was gone as she sat here, bones alive with this weird feeling. Was it his energy? Maybe his blood? If she hadn't just ate, she'd have wondered what his blood tasted like. The idea made her blush and she forced herself to look at Reika, working and doing her thing. Yeah right, you could go around drinking the blood of low level demons and stealing old pizza from garbage, but you can't just chomp down on a legend, that was weird, and wrong, and so not cool.

"I should find this Nero guy and give him a piece of my mind," she hissed, glaring out into the room, "if he's the one who stole it from dad I'll..." What? Steal it back and run away? Not like she could beat him up or anything. Maybe he was the one who killed her dad too. Yeah. It had to be him, came back to finish the job after he took it. Nero. Add that name to the shit list. If he was a demon, maybe she could just eat him, drain his energy and take it, if he wouldn't just give it over. "Well...I mean, never mind that." she looked at the table, "I just wanna see it again. I mean, I feel like it should be mine but if you're Dante, then I guess technically it's yours and I guess that's okay. It just doesn't make sense, why would you let someone else have it?"

When Reika sat beside her she let go of the monocle and put both her hands back in plain sight. In spite of the missing pieces, she was a little excited, she was one step closer to finding it and avenging her dad. This was good, maybe Dante would even help! This made her lips part and she was about to ask when Reika began to speak and she looked at the black envelope. No, it was weird, 'Hi Mr. Legendary guy who I thought was a myth, help me find who killed my dad? It's cool right? I can't even pay you or anything.' Right, she remembered who she was and her shoulders slumped a little, money, yeah, she didn't have that or any leverage at all. No way she could ask him, or anyone else in the room for any favors in that regard.

(Dante)

Blue eyes snapped back to the girl in front of him.

"Stole it from your father?" Now she had his attention, someone stole the sword. His mind ran with the idea, if Vergil was her father... but she looked nothing like himself his brother or Nero, The puzzle wasn't adding up. He thought to how many hands Yamato has been in. that researcher? did he steal it.. from Vergil? he stared at her again "I trust Nero with the sword because he is family. You knew your father?"

He didn't get a chance to question her any harder when Reika plopped down in front of him. The hostility he was reading off of her made him sit all the way back. Shit, and a Black envelope on top of that... how long has she been holding onto it? He really didn't have the time or mind set to deal with a job from the Freaking Vatican right now. She kept staring at him, even after stealing his drink.

"Uh," He was left wondering once again, didn't really have any excuses. "Look, I'm sorry, I've had..." He looked around the room at the other hunters that were starting to filter back out into the night, leaving only the heavy bounties and other devil hunters. "Stuff..." He dropped his head but then looked to the girl again.

"She has more interesting things to say." He motioned to Yamiko, "Tell me about your father... what about your mother?"

(Yamiko)

Eh? She was more interesting? She looked between them as Dante questioned her, and stared an extra minute at Reika who seemed upset with the whitenette. She almost wondered what kind of 'stuff' he was up to as much as the brunette beside her.

"Sure I knew my dad," she said slowly, turning her gaze back to Dante, "he was a scientist, kind of a dork but my hero," she smiled a little to herself, her eyes holding a certain fondness as her looked at her hands, "he used to tell me all kinds of stories; taught me everything I know." She probably shouldn't mention he was a bug demon who fed her blood right? Yeah, no. "He died...well...actually he was murdered, someone shot him and just...left him there," her voice swelled with emotion and she frowned, drowning tears with anger,"I mean who would do that? My dad never hurt anyone! It's not fair!"

She grimaced, putting a hand on her forehead, the other making a fist on the table, she took a deep breath, steadying her anger. The buzzing in her bones seemed to get more powerful for second, "ah, so" she said, calm again, "...when he died I lost my home too. So it's how I got where I am."

"And my mom, uh...I don't have one?" She said, it sounded like a question, but it was just her teenage accent raising the tone at the end of the sentence. She looked between them again, other kids sometimes only had one parent, right? It was normal wasn't it? Should she lie about that? She didn't see why she should.

So wait though, Nero was family? So...okay maybe the fairy tales weren't accurate, Nero wasn't in the stories she knew, but if he could hold Yamato...fine, she still would never forgive him for possibly being the one who killed her dad. If he did it, but he was the only lead she had. She'd have to find out more.

(Reika)

Her eyes narrowed on the devil, before turning back to Yamiko, hearing out her side of the story, which sounded odd to say the least. Her father was a researcher shot and murdered, that nearly sounded familiar. She looked back to dante, definitely wanting his input on this.

"Don't have a mother? Was she killed too?" she set her hand on the girls arm, looking to console. Experience with vagrants aside, she had no plans leaving this girl to live on the streets, not in a town like this.

(Dante)

Hands stayed steady, one on the table the other over the back of the seat, at ease. But oh so tense. he knew exactly who her father was, though why she had no mother and gave off this feeling on blood relation he couldn't grasp yet. If he were the apologizing type he would beg her forgiveness, but that would be out of character. He was the very one to murder her 'father' he doubt that the man was involved in any actual procreation...

So, did that mean that she was created? It would make sense as to something the quack would try... but this worked... from, Yamato? if he used the power of his brothers blade to create this girl... she would give off energy and react strongly when near kin... he had to see. If his theory was correct, she might be able to help him, aid him in once again finding his brother, who seems to like to vanish without a trace.

In a sudden movement he brought Rebellion up onto the table before him and grabbed Yamiko's wrist, planting her hand on the cool smooth steel.

(Yamiko)

"No I-," was all she had time to say in reply to Reika before Dante grabbed her wrist. At that exact moment, several things happened at once. She was more than aware of his hand on her skin, the placement of this thumb and the firm tenseness of his fingers. It immediately sent blue sparks arching around the point of contact, but they all but exploded out when he pressed her hand to the sword, leaping in bright blue waves down Rebellion, around Dante's hand and up her arm into her core, stopping her heart and lungs at once. She screamed, but that was a bad idea as the last of the air in her frozen lungs left her, the blue electricity even sparking out from now bright white-blue eyes.

She thought she closed those eyes, because everything went dark, a buzzing in her ears. The whole world disappeared and she felt as though she was in some kind of limbo, like she could either go back, or go forward. She was confused and full of panic and fear she didn't know where else to go but forward and she found she could no longer move. She couldn't scream or cry, the two things she really wanted to to, she couldn't blink or breathe but she found she didn't need to. All of the sudden she could see again, but she couldn't control where her gaze fell, she saw a sword. While she found she didn't have arms or legs, no face, no head to turn and look at herself, she could see the black burn on the table and the black stain where she had been sitting only a moment ago. Was she dead? Had he killed her? What the...? She found she wasn't hurting, and was still very aware of his hand around her.

Unlike a moment ago, when his hand had felt like it was merely holding her wrist, now, he felt as if he held her entire body, as if the flick of his wrist would control her every moment. While she no longer had nerves, she could feel she was light, small, thin. It was somehow familiar, but no less alarming.

"Wha-what the, what the shit?! WHAT THE SHIT? FUCK! WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME!?" Her voice was metallic and vibrating through the blade, hysterical.

She could see the shocked look on Reika's face, but given that she was seeing her from the wrong side of the table, she realized was looking through Dante's eyes.

Unable to cry from the overload of panic, and with no lungs to pant, as she would have been doing, the blade vibrated with uneasy energy. Yes, Dante was now holding an unsheathed Yamato. A perfect copy. Too perfect. Exactly perfect.

Somehow in the moment that passed, everything seemed oddly familiar, like she'd been in this hand before. She knew this...yeah, she was...she was a sword? No, she was Yamato! She was very aware of it, her sharpness, her strength, it felt good, natural.

Another moment passed and there was one more word from the blade, a shaking voice like a child, fearful and pleading,

"Dante?"

(Reika)

No chance, not one chance did he give her to respond. She was about to jump his crap for grabbing the girl, but was thrown back the sheer instant her skin touched Rebellion. Her hand on Yamiko's arm felt it even, shocking her hard. Though her yelp in pain and surprise was drowned out by the rush of power, bursting lights near them and Yamiko's scream cut short. She could hear the patrons still in the restraint getting back up from the floor themselves, muttering. One quite distinctly commenting on Dante and his destructive tendencies.

Her eyes adjusted to the darker light to see Yamato in Dante's hands. and a blackened and otherwise destroyed booth, "What the HELL JUST HAPPENED?!" She didn't realize that she was yelling, but to her defense it had been a while since she had been around to experience his... well, destructive luck.

(Dante)

Electricity shot through his hand, he could not have let go or look away even if he'd wanted to. The power flowing out of the changing form in his hand Took out everything within ten feet of them, the lights above, the glasses in front of a patron sitting in the next booth. The light faded to reveal the very blade that started all of this. And she trembled in his hands, just before her panicked voice assaulted his ears. Not his ears, as he would come to find, but she was speaking directly into his mind.

He barely heard Reika's disapproval over the distressing feeling and sound of Yamiko/Yamato's fear in his grip and mind. He took a deep breath, and gently ran his other hand down the blade, whispering hushes in an attempt to calm her. When the very metal finally stopped vibrating, he laid her softly down next to rebellion and grabbed Reika by the arm, pulling her to the other side of the diner, ignoring the disdained looks of the two hunters left not yet frightened away.

"We need to protect her." he looked back to the table, "there's no telling what other kind of power she has, or what this even means."

(Yamiko)

She hardly heard Reika over her own freaking out, but apparently Dante could hear her and she felt his touch on her blade, could hear him talk to her. Telling her it was okay, trying his best to be soothing. Right, okay, she thought, she started to relax, breathe-oh right, there was no breathing. She tried to concentrate, feel him stroking her (ugh get'cher mind outta the gutter) and she felt herself stop shaking. He was Dante, so she could trust him, maybe he would know more about Yamato than even Agnus had, and if Vergil was real, maybe he knew more still.

"Help me..." was all she could think to say to him next, and he assured her he would. She relaxed further, 'Hang in there,' he said to her. "I-I don't know what to do, I don't know what this is, b-but..." ah, she wanted to tell him everything, in her moment of vulnerability she did say,"dad never said anything like this might happen, but I guess it makes sense...since it's where I...uh" that's all she said, making herself stop before she gave away too much. "I'm scared..." Then he put her down, her vision instantly gone, disconnected like a cable from a plug, she could feel rebellion next to her though, that was a relief at least, telling her she was still _here_.

"Hey, where are you? Come back!" She shrieked, panicked that something else changed so suddenly. Then she felt another sensation creeping on; without his touch, she felt herself fading, falling, like being light headed, about to pass out. She felt warm, hotter and hotter and yet more and more cold.

"Something else is happening! Something's happening!...Dante? Dante!" She had no idea if he could hear her anymore. She was blind, but not deaf. "Protect me? What?"

Was she in danger? Wait, maybe someone would steal her? Sell her? That sort of thing still happened right? Oh shit, not good, not good at all. She realized how desperate her situation was. She wasn't a human, and couldn't pretend to be. She suddenly felt very alone. In this darkness, with a body that wasn't a body. Would she ever change back? Was she going to be a sword forever now? The tingling seemed to get worse, or maybe better?

For an instant she tried to reach out to Rebellion, if she could think, could it? But it was silent, a mystery in that respect. She turned ehr attention back to listening, maybe she could over hear something else as she lay still, unable to do anything else.

(Reika)

If she bruised she was going to have to beat his ass, he grabbed her so quick and so hard she had to yank back out of his grip when he stopped.

"ow." She glared up at him, holding her arm where he had grabbed, and tucking that hand away, tight in a fist to hide the scorch she could still feel hot in her palm. She looked back to the swords laying on the table together. She herself didn't get the full story from Fortuna all those years ago, only rumors, whispers of what happened as though it was ages already gone by. The man before her was still considered an inconceivable legend.

She looked back up at him. And he tended to be really god damn dense sometimes, some legend. But he was right, if the wrong people learned about this she could become a target. And she knew where that road could end up taking the poor girl.

"Okay, I already offered her the room in the back, should I up that to letting her stay at my apartment?" He seemed so determined, she hadn't seen this kind of motivation in him in ages... well that being coupled with not seeing him at all in nearly a year doesn't help.

(Dante)

Locked on, he couldn't look away form the table as she vibrated in panic again, he could sense it, but not hear her so clearly. it was a moment before Reika said anything. And when he looked to her, she seemed, tired, defeated, older even. That's when he looked around and the improvements she had made to the restaurant made him realize just how long he had been living under a rock.

His eyes rested yet again on the swords laying next to each other on the table. His mind a buzz with possibilities, would she be safe here? Safer at the apartment? Vergil used to have the one across from her, did he still have a copy of the key? she could stay there maybe... but would she be safe?

When he came back to Reika, she was looking back at him, expecting input.  
"I, uh... I don't know, I could offer my place too," He noticed her quiet scoff at the comment, then noticed how she was holding her arm, her left arm. "Shit, I'm sorry..." It came out in a flurry that seemed to surprise her, gently then he tried to take her arm to look, make sure he hadn't actually hurt her.

(Reika)

Quickly she rubbed her arm to make it look like it was nothing but kept her hand clenched and out of sight.

"My place then," She settled the plan, then made a b-line for the sink behind the counter, making an act to wash her hands she ran her palm under cool water, and it stung. Not badly enough for her to cry out, but it did make her eyes water, so she kept her face down. She reached to the glass rack bringing back and filling two with water. She came back and handed him one, and used the other to try to keep cooling her hand.

"How long do you think she will stay like that?" She slipped past the devil to avoid any more prying and went back toward Yamiko.

(Yamiko)

The vibrating sword would have become warm to the touch, very warm, living. She tried to hear them talking, a place to stay? The room in the back and free pizza was enough for her, getting to live with someone like Dante? Even better, she had after all lived her entire life around two men, never having a female role model at all, so naturally she was more comfortable around men. She was curious about Reika, everything from her movements to her voice was interesting. She'd go wherever they wanted her as long as it meant food and warmth. To have her own space again, that would be nice. Really nice, better than nice.

Then Reika decided, she'd be staying with her. Whatever, Yamiko didn't care, she was just happy to get picked up like this. Pizza. Conversation. Warm bed. All this was really good, and distracted her from the rising feeling in her body.

She could feel her heart beating again and she felt herself passing through a barrier. Almost like breaking the surface after being underwater for a long time. She felt herself grow and swell and...breathe? Unlike her violent transformation to sword form, the switch back was rather pleasant. There she was on the table, fully clothed like nothing had even happened. She looked at her hand, fingers spread, then her hand shot to her pocket to check for an important memento, it was still there. She touched her cheek, her hair, her body and then looked around the room.

"What are you looking at?" She spat a a gawking stranger who scoffed and left the restaurant shaking his head followed by his pal. Alone she looked back at Reika and Dante. Looking at Dante, all of the sudden she felt herself become embarrassed, perhaps the first real embarrassment she'd ever felt and she tucked her knees under her chin, hugging herself and shouted,

"Who taught you manners jackass?! You can't go around grabbing people! Tch..pervert."

Somehow it felt intimate, he'd been the first to see her like that, make her like that. It was like being seen naked, and hte bond created when she was in that form was also intimate. She told herself she'd have to get over it, eventually this would be something she'd probably do all the time, if she could control it, but right now it was pretty messed up. Somewhere deep down, she wasn't really angry, and she put him on a shelf in her head of people she'd probably trust with her life, but still...

"At least warn me next time..."she muttered, looking away and hiding her face in her arms for a second. She tried to understand this, the way her father taught her, put the pieces together. So she hand't changed when Reika had grabbed her before, or when she'd touched her at the table, which means something about Dante had caused it. Yamato...Dante...his demon blood? But she'd touched demons before and that didn't do anything. She didn't understand completely, but she felt it probably had a lot to do with Yamato and Sparda.

Her gaze peeked over her lime green jacket sleeve as she spotted her forgotten plate of pizza and she made herself look annoyed so she could get up and go back to eating it. She took a slice and turned to face them, "What?" she took a bite, "want an explanation? I don't have one so forget it." Or rather, she was way too embarrassed right now to talk about it.

(Reika)

A jerk of the head a reminder of her now sore arm as she turned to see a rather nervous and upset Yamiko sitting up, human once again. With a sigh she came over and offered the girl help down off the table and the glass of water in her hand. With another turn she checked that the establishment was otherwise empty and picked up fallen chairs on her way back toward Dante and the kitchen. There she turned back to the girl.

"I'm going to take you home, I think that's enough excitement for one day." Reika ushered Dante out before anything else could happen. "you can shower there, and put on clean clothes if you like," She stopped near the back door, keys in hand looking the girl up and down. "I may have some things that will fit you."

With one last flick of a switch the restaurant was dark as pitch and the door pulled tight and locked behind them. Reika motioned to her car, though it wasn't the nicest it had served her many years and seemed to keep on ticking for her. She ran her hand along the tan sedan's hood lovingly.

"The only reliable man in my live," She chuckled as she unlocked the doors, "Asian made, go figure, he's lasted me near ten years." At least the night wasn't too cold, even with how deep into the season they were getting.

It was a quiet drive, the shops on the main drag all lit up and decorated for Christmas already, even the radio stations were starting to play the festive music. It brought a smile, maybe having someone around would make the holidays feel real again. 


	4. Chapter 4

(Reika)

She flipped her keys in her hand as they climbed the stairs, then finally came to a stop on the landing that had primarily been just hers and Vergil's for a short time. that is, until he vanished. but he had paid for nearly two years of rent up front, so the door across from her had yet to be opened. Now that she thought of it, she turned to the green wooden door set against the stark sanitary white of the building. She looked again to Yamiko before her curiosity got the better of her and she flipped her keys once more, stopping on the green handled silver key.

"Lets take a look see, maybe he left something behind, a clue..." Deep breath in, and out slow, she told herself as she unlocked the door and pushed it open. "Vergil hasn't been here in ages..." She stepped in and flipped on the light, illuminating a simple arrangement of elegant yet inexpensive looking furniture. Everything was covered in a thin layer dust, and there was still a book on the coffee table, ribbon secure in the center, waiting for him to pick it back up. She checked the fridge, thankfully it was empty, though he had a whole cabinet full of teas.

"I doubt he's coming back any time soon. would you like to stay here? I know it needs cleaning, but it will be your own space." She turned to the girl, checking the bathroom for anything scary, but nope, no dead mice in the tub, everything but the dust was immaculate.

(Yamiko)

She followed the other to the place that would be her new homestead, but at the last moment, they took a turn. What? Who? Oh yeah, Vergil...So he was real too, and he has lived...here? As they crossed the threshold, Yami couldn't help raising her arms to hug herself. The energy of this place, though dull gave her tingles. It smelled musty,

"Someone should open a window," She blurted, looking around pretending not to be impressed with the dusty finery. Oh but then they approached the bathroom, an actual real bathroom with an actual shower. She wanted to cry, but instead she just sniffed and crossed her arms. "So, you gonna bring me clean stuff to wear or what?"

She was kind of sorry she sounded so rude, but it was her persona. She turned out of the bathroom to look around some more.

"He was really tidy huh?" She called from the kitchen, leaning against the counter, then she was distracted from the reply by another door...The bed room...Bed...Hm.

She went and tentatively opened the door, "Wow..." she mouthed, it smelled good in here, musty from the stagnant air, but good. Somehow it was less dusty in here. She sat on the bed and got a zap up her spine. She blinked several times and then smoothed her hand over the sheets. It drew her in, made her feel electric, no way she could sleep on this thing. Her could almost hear someone breathing deeply, the weight shifting on the mattress, turning in his sleep. she couldn't see anything, but she could feel it. So warm, the steady breath. Thus surreal, blind, beautiful feeling. It was so...something, her face started to feel hot and she stood up suddenly. What in the actual fu... was that?

Hand on her chest she looked at the bed as if it were some kind of animal and turned to the door.

(Reika)

A window was a good idea, and Reika walked into the living room to do just that. She threw open the heavy drapes, dust flying free as she unlocked and slid open both panes. The view was so nice from here, you could see the twinkling lights of the city, even some houses that had décor up already. And where they were, far enough from the road, the city noises weren't as bad as they could be. She took a step back, setting her hands on her hips.

"It wouldn't take much to get this place feeling lived in again," she turned to find Yamiko had wandered away, finding her in the bedroom, Reika leaned against the door, "I had to drag him up here once... he was hurt, pretty bad." She came to join the young girl standing near the bed, "He was never one to be outspoken but I knew by the fact he didn't strike out at me, he was glad to have an ally." She started flipping through her keys again and pulled free an unused ring, and put a black handles key and a green handled key onto it.

"Here," leaning over the bed she held out the keys, "Black is for the building doors, green, well green is yours now." Hopping back to her feet she headed for the door, "I'll be right back, I'll go find you some clean clothes, and maybe tomorrow we can go get you something new." She smiled before slipping out the door to go across the hall.

(Yamiko)

Hurt? This person had known this Vergil...like for real, the same way she knew Dante. Huh...maybe Vergil would have answers for her. Something about her purpose. She looked around in thought, then Reika mentioned new clothes? New? Her eyes lit up and she almost jumped for joy, instead she toned her expression back and said "cool."

She followed Reika back out and went back to teh bathroom. There were towels in the linen closet, not dusty ones. Still, she shook it out for spiders and smelled it. Mn, the scennt of a clean towel. Ahhhh.

She went and started the water. Funny, she hadn't had a bath in a warm shower in a long time. Time on the street meant bathing in fountains and stuff, this was actually warm, private, and nice. She pulled the monocle out of her pocket and put it on the sink, then stripped away her crusty old clothes and left them in a heap. As cute as they were they needed washed and the tights may as well just be thrown away.

Stepping into the shower was like stepping into heaven and she sighed, even cried a little with relief, but it was fine. She kept on with her shower, couldn't wait to attempt the bed later...maybe it would smell like him.-Wait, why would that matter? Until today he'd been a myth. She didn't even know what he looked like. She turned to the half full bottle of bodywash. It was for men but it was body wash, she opened it and sniffed...Holy Sanctus...

She squeezed a little into her hands and started to wash herself and her hair. Then she rinsed, baby soft porcelain skin clean again for the first time in too long. She got out and wrapped that soft towel around herself, checked the mirror, noting she needed makeup int he morning. She collected the monocle and went to find the clothes Reika left.

After she dressed, she went to sit on the couch and examined the trinket from her dad, kicking up a leg and lounging like she owned the place already.

(Reika)

The water was running already when she went back across the hall with some clothes and a still sealed little travel kit with a toothbrush and such in it. She left them in a bag next to the bathroom door before locking the green door behind her. A heavy sigh left her as she leaned back against her own door, listening to the satisfying click. At last she hung her head shrugging gingerly out of her coat with her now ragingly sore shoulder. She wasn't quite sure what was wrong with it, thinking back to the incident at the restaurant, Dante hadn't grabbed her that hard.

"Perhaps it's just the long day," she could tell though her hand would need a salve before bed however, so she hunted for it, as she stripped her way to the bedroom. At long last rubbing aloe into her palm and dropping her bra on the chair near her bed before slipping into her blankets. But of course, now that she was here... it wasn't so simple to fall asleep. So much had happened today, and she knew the events were a foreshadowing, but to what?

She hadn't realized that she slipped into sleep all the while possibilities were running through her mind.

(Yamiko)

Reika never came back, but even so Yamiko stayed up late looking at the monocle and then just walking around. It felt weird to be alone, to have privacy. Sleeping under a park bench even as the days had gotten colder and shorter still meant anyone walking by could see you. Here, she really was alone with no one watching. It was nice. Eventually she decided to chance the bed again. There, she felt an energy when she touched it, but no weird electric shock or flash back more like a warm sense of excitement, like getting to snuggle beside someone important to you, though she could hardly explain it.

Sleeping was tough to do, but eventually she accomplished it and had a most interesting dream.

 _There was nothing, blackness, but she could hear and feel water running all around. Someone was yelling and the she could see. She flew through the air, strong and sure clashing with no feeling against Rebellion. Dante? Yes, she could see him, the painful fire in his eyes as he faced his opponent amidst a raging river. She cried out as Dante's sword stuck true and her master fell to his knee._

 _"You must...never let anyone have this." She heard him say as they approached the waterfall. She saw the panic on Dante's face as the man who held her leaned back to fall. Dante reached for him, and through her master's will she bit through his hand like butter falling away in the hand of her master until they could no longer seet he red clad brother high above._

 _In the blackness below, she was not afraid, though she was confused. There were ruins, and Vergil's sure footed stance. Suddenly there were three red eyes, demon eyes, but as long as he held her, she could not be afraid._

She jolted awake, still seeing red all around her and she tasted copper in her mouth, demon blood. Dante's blood? It must be her imagination. She got up and went to wash her face. Afterward she took up her dad's monocle from the nightstand and traipsed across the hall.

"Reika?" She asked, "I'm coming in!" She called, entering the apartment. "Hey, whats for breakfast? And I gotta tell you about this weird dream," she walked straight to the kitchen, "when are we leaving?"

She already felt a need for companionship after spending the night in the empty apartment. And that dream...it left her with an odd loneliness she was eager to shake.

(Reika)

The sky in the window slowly turned from deep purple black to the light blue of morning light as she lay there debating how much time she still had to lie still bundled in her warm blankets. But the alarm finally went off and she worked her way out of her cocoon of comfort, and shuffled her way to the kitchen to a freshly brewed cup of coffee.  
"Praise whatever deity is listening for programmable appliances." Taking a satisfying gulp, she made her way to the fridge, clicking on the small ancient tv on the counter. On went the news about some new act of violence, calling out fearful words like 'terrorism'.  
"Humans will always be the worst devils upon this earth." The pretty blonde reporter droned on about details, thankfully drowned out quickly by the sizzle of delicious bacon. Just then there was a knock at the door and her new neighbor came strolling in. Reika leaned against the counter in her tanktop and boyshorts sipping her coffee. Years ago she would have been self conscious, her many scars on display as they were. It had been long enough, she hardly noticed them anymore. Thankfully her soreness from the night before was rested away and far from thought.  
"Bacon and eggs in a basket." Still holding her cup she picked up the skillet, shifting the contents loose before flipping the piece of bread with ease, and smiled at the satisfying fresh sizzle.  
"Today, the restaurant is closed, we're in no rush. However, usually I use the time off to get other things done. so, number one will be getting you some new clothes. I'll warn you now though, I'm not rich, so we'll try the thrift store first." With an expert hand she picked up the skillet again and flipped the now toasted bread and well cooked egg right onto a plate, along side two slices of bacon.  
"what would you like to drink? I have chocolate milk and orange juice and coffee of course." She slid the plate down the counter to the girl, then got out another mug, then dropped another piece of bread and egg into the skillet.

(Yamiko)

"Milk?" She asked, truly not knowing what it was. Had she ever tasted it? Had she ever had chocolate even? She couldn't remember, but played it off as if she was casually deciding. She had orange juice, lots of times, but milk? That was dairy right? Like cheese? Surely it would be fine. "Sounds good," she said already biting into the bacon, in reply to the thrift store.

"I don't know where my dad got my clothes, new or used. I never got to go shopping with him when he got 'em." she still had the monocle in her other hand.

"So, anyway," she said, with a cheek full of egg and toast, "I had this dream, there was a river and Dante was there, I think Vergil was too, but I couldn't see him. We started to fall over this waterfall and Dante tried to catch us, but I cut his hand instead. The last thing I remember is three giant red eyes in the black sky. Weird right? I've never really had dreams before. Not like that."

She fiddled with the monocle in her fingers, but didn't look at it, focused instead on the cold glass of chocolate milk before her. She tried it and had to pretend it wasn't as awesome tasting as it was.

"This is like...really good." She said, trying hard not to flip out and chug down the whole thing.

(Reika)

Mug in hand stopped near her lips at the description of the dream, after being close to Dante for so long, and his talkative drinking habits, she new exactly what the girl was talking about. though she stayed over her own egg there on the counter.

"It wasn't a dream." the mug made a soft thunk as she set it back down on the counter to serve her own plate. "It was a memory." She moved to join Yamiko at the table, taking a swig of coffee before continuing.

"They were younger, jeeze, more than ten years ago now. Dante describes it as the third worst day of his life. Vergil believed that he could defeat the demon king, as their father had, so long ago. His theory is that Vergil's search for power and dislike for humans came from their inability to save their mother when they were children. Vergil didn't win that fight, and ended up becoming a pawn for Mundus, disguised and designed to defeat his brother. He didn't win that fight either... and Dante had believed him dead." She took a moment to work on her toast and egg.

"That was the day Yamato was broken in two. Dante never did recover it from the ruins of the island." her eyes came up from the table to look at the young girl, "I suppose that's where you father comes in, I've heard stories about what happened in Fortuna, though I wasn't there myself." She noticed the girl's hand still below the table, fiddling. She stared a moment, how hard it was going to be to eventually tell her the truth about her 'father', the evil he was committing, and the fact that Dante was responsible for his death. How in the world can you tell someone you just met, _Oh yeah, the guy you idolize, yeah that cool legend you didn't even know was real, is also the one you hate and want to kill the most._ Sure, yeah, that would go over like a lead balloon. Ugh, she was giving herself a headache.

"Why don't you tell me more about him while I get dressed, I'll have the door open, we're both girls here," With a wink Reika took her empty plate to the sink and headed back to her room.

(Yamiko)

Not a dream? Stranger things had happened in her lifetime, but wow. So that had happened, she felt like she should apologize for hurting Dante, but at the same time decided against it. It was ten years ago and she was just a sword, not like she could have done anything about it then and she sure couldn't do anything about it now. She mulled that over as breakfast drew to a close. It made her feel a little warm and fuzzy inside, made her smile to herself she felt a little closer to the man who..well the one she, or technically Yamato "belonged" to. She kind of hoped to meet him one day.

But then the opportunity to talk about her dad came up, in spite of things, she jumped at it, following to lean against the wall by the door just outside her room.

"My dad? Yeah he was like...I don't know, awkward but really funny. He tried really hard for being a single parent, well, there was my grandpa, but he only visited to check on my dad's work. But I guess he was cool, he got me my first tv. I spent the most time with my dad though, when I was allowed out of my room. He taught me everything I know...okay well almost, I learned a lot from tv. I think I'd be totally clueless without pop culture, oh my gosh, the first time I got my period? You should have seen my dad, he hooked me up to an IV and everything like I was dying." She laughed, but left out the part that due to her own ignorance, she had truly thought she was dying too. "Anyway, he had this stutter, but it didn't matter. Inside his head he was like this curious little kid, always questioning everything, trying to learn and stuff. I really admired that about him." She looked warmly at the monocle, but the smile faded with a familiar pain jabbing at her heart.

"I don't understand how or why anyone would...DO THAT to him. He was so kind to me...I mean, he was the only dad I ever knew, the only person I had in the whole world. I heard my grandpa died too, I sort of always knew he was up to something weird, I heard he was killed by some vigilantes or something, but...my dad, he didn't deserve any of that." She was about to rant about being locked up and never seeing the outside world until six months ago, and how the killer had unknowingly robbed her of literally everything that made up her world, but she bit her tongue. That was TMI and she wasn't quite ready to totally let that wall down that was holding her real feelings about his death.

Reika responded oddly, sidestepping the subject. "So! On that note? Ready to go?" And the two set off for a day of shopping. Meanwhile...a new threat was making way in the town of Fortuna...


	5. Chapter 5

"Oy," came a bored voice from the door, "phone for you."

The young man with his hair long on one side smirked unkindly, and got up to take the device from the one at the door.

"Yo," he said softly, listening to the other, "Oh really? You bring your best, I'll still win."

The other person seemed to taunt him.

"Keep talking like that and it won't be just your ass you'll owe me." He hung up on the other person and handing the cellphone back to the other, who looked at him with excitement in his gaze. "Race tonight," he said with a grin. The other smiled back, knowing what to do and left him alone.

Hounchida hummed lightly and walked to look out of the barred window of his office, which was was in an abandoned building. The office itself was dark, messy, with graffiti on the walls. Down below, some nice cars that looked too nice to be here were gathering, people who also seemed to be dressed in expensive looking street clothes were gathering too, showing off their speakers, hydraulics, paint jobs and lights. He of course was the King, the peasants could play but he'd make his appearance later when his challenger arrived.

The person on the phone was a young man, and Houn could tell right away the younger male had a crush on him. As a joke, or he'd made it sound like a joke, that if the young man lost, he'd have to submit to a night alone with him and that our devil had dibs on tops. The reverse would mean the other could do as he wished. Which meant he'd most likely get himself eaten either way.

In the time since he'd crawled out of that summoning ritual, he'd made quite the name from himself HK the King of Speed, Drift, and style. Hot cars, hot company. The hype was all so very delicious.

The hours whiled away and the sun set, the unique bumping of music was heard and HK started awake from a nap to look down. The hot pink under light on the Lamborghini was meant to mock his hair. It had been pink lately, reflecting his over amount of lustful satisfaction these days. Everyone he met thought it was just an interesting dye job. Ha. A knock at his door meant it was time.

So he put on a jacket and strutted out into the cool night air. His phone guy walked ahead, announcing him.

"OHHHHH, here he is, you want himm you need him! It's the KING, H-Kaaaayyyyyy!"

He walked out like a celebrity, the sparkling people around him in their colorful clothes cheering as he approached the man getting out of the slick silver vehicle. he certainly was cute.

"You ready? You'll eat your words tonight." said the challenger.

"I'll eat more than that." he teased, wiping his lips with a thumb. The other shifted and grinned.

"Then get your wheels punk, let's do this."

The crowd parted right on schedule as phone guy pulled HK's car up behind him. The souped up McLaren in bright green with black decals revved it's engine.

"Let's." said HK with a grin.

-

It wasn't long before the two cars were beside one another before a stretch of highway, a girl in a tight metallic silver outfit came out to wave the flag to start. The crowd was cheering. He shot the challenger one more smirk before the girl gave the signal and all that was left behind was rubber streaks on the concrete.


End file.
